REBECCA J. BRIGGS, E-RYT, CN, Health Coach, Yoga & Meditation Teacher, Thai Massage Therapist, Certified Nutritionist & Food as Medicine Health Educator ~For 25 years I've been practicing what I teach, following my soul's mission to return people hOMe to Mother Nature and to their own innate wisdom. ~ Private Sessions & Programs, Group Classes, Workshops & Retreats held in Southern RI and on Martha's Vineyard, or on-line, year round.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Merury in retrograde, Rebecca in retrograde

Ugh. the ups and downs of life, the steps forward and the retro back.

thank God for my little boy. he is pure joy, my shining star, the love of my life. Oh, but I did think I'd have true love in this life time too. a partner one day. what ta f___k. men. what is meant for me? what is going on?

i feel like screaming help. like crying and retiring into the woods on a long, long walk to regain my sense of self, my true natural state of me. where am i leading my life? what do i want? how can I create the life I want. first i need to figure out what specifics I need to self actualize.

more exuberant yoga and dance. more sunshine and greenery. more fresh air and friends. margaritas with less sugar and more zing in an outdoor seating with a view setting.

more love with love coming right back or surprisingly first. less hives. less fear. less anger. less frustration. less poverty.

more abundance. more optemism. more scrupulant observations of self. more Shane. more creativity actualized on my end. more step by step prioritizing and productivity.

more practice at patience. more breath. more prayer. more meditation. less struggle. more grace.

OBX RAW FOOD AND YOGA SPRING RETREAT: APRIL 24-30, 2017 REGISTER NOW - CLICK ON IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMAION

FRESH, CLEAN, REAL FOOD

Colorful foods add color to your life. Join the hOMnaturale Detox hOMe & Body Spring Cleansers and plug into Not Your Sugar Mama's amazing vegan, clean foods and mineral broth for an energizing regime that will clear your brain fog, fatigue, water weight and stagnate waste out of your system. Mid March-April, with my Health Coaching, and yoga and meditation teachings. Let the power of Self Love, Community Support & Clean, Read food and Mother Nature revive you this spring and sustain your spirit and healthy habits all year long.

Parvati (aka Shakti), Durga, Kali and Laksmi: embracing all the parts of who we are with courage, compassion, intensity and grace

The archetypical traits of the deities are within us all, ready to be both nurtured and challenged through the practice of yoga. Utilizing ujjaii breathing, mantra meditation, and the application of Anusara Yoga's Universal Principals of Alignment we'll work compassionately and courageously through standing and arm balancing poses, inversions and backbends; emerging like the goddess Laksmi from the churning sea with a clearer perspective on how to best be all that we are.

Now's the time. Begin where you are, begin now, begin again. That's what spring is all about!

REBECCA'S PRIVATE YOGA / MASSAGE / NUTRITION PACKAGES

I. PRIVATE YOGA SESSIONS

held in the comfort of your home:

PACKAGE 1: THERAPEUTIC THAI MASSAGE &/or INDIVIDUALIZED YOGA to HEAL

On a 3" foam mat (which I got in Thailand), clothed and comfortable you will receive a Traditional Therapeutic Thai Yoga Massage which stretches your muscles and releases stagnation in the organs (via gentle pressure along the organ meridian "sen" lines or "chi" channels). You will be left invigorated, relaxed and able to feel a possibility of wellness like perhaps you haven't felt in a long while.

Includes Anusara(tm) Yoga foundational basics for beginning or progressing your practice beyond where you are today& includes organic whole food meal plans/alternatives for a holistic, well rounded approach to living well inside and out. May include a shopping list, recipes &/or a plan for a cleansing program & the day to day support that goes with it.

Two 90 min. sessions $165; Three 90 min. sessions $240. Includes phone call counseling to support your progress with the internal and external practices.

Mother's Day 2012

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Honoring my first Anusara Yoga Teacher

Hanneli Francis and me (three and half months pregnant with Shane) in Costa Rica, March 2002.

THE STYLE OF YOGA I PRACTICE and TEACH is PROUDLY ANUSARA YOGA

Anusara(tm) translates as "being in the current of Grace", "aligning with the Supreme", "atuning to something bigger than yourself"

I've been practicing yoga regularly since January 1992, drawn to it by a need to feel self assurance and a renewal of spirit while going through a trying divorce. It was through the grace of my first yoga teacher, Amy Weintraub (renown Kripala yoga instructor and author of Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists:Effective practices for mood management 2013) that I was drawn to 'whatever she was doing', which was practicing yoga and meditation. Now, twenty years later when people tell me to keep doing whatever it is I'm doing, "it seems to be working"- I know it's the yoga and organic whole foods and natural products I adamantly use that make me a happy, self assured spirit in this physical world.

I was first introduced to Anusara(tm) yoga in 1997 via the Herb Pharm Retreats I worked at in Williams, OR. We had yoga every moring, taught by Williams' forever sweetheart, Hanneli Francis.

I knew Anusara yoga would always have a place in my heart, for I loved my teacher (Hanneli) and the clarity and fluidity of how she taught and just how she was - Hanneli held herself with grace and a yearning to share from the heart, much like Amy.

At the time, other styles of yoga were also joyfully embedded into my life; I had a strong Ashtanga yoga and Transcendental Meditation practice which I dedicated at least 20 minutes to each morning and evening. These home based practices set the foundation for my days. I studied Iyengar yoga while living in San Francisco, and then practiced, studied and taught heated power vinyasa yoga (Baptist style) when I moved back to New England in mid 2002.

Through the years, Anusara and the sound of Hanneli chanting the Anusara Invocation remained in my heart, like a seed constantly vibrating with love, ready and waiting to grow. I trusted that it would indeed bloom, once I gave it my full attention. When I moved back to California in 2007, I dedicated my time and self to being a devoted student of Certified Anusara teachers, Samantha Shakti Brown and Sianna Sherman. When I again moved eastward it was Elena Brower in NYC and Deb Neubauer in MA that become my teachers. In 2010 I completed years of Anusara immersions and teacher trainings and began teaching with confidence what I most wanted to continually learn more of, the non-dualistic, supremely Tantric philosophy and eloquent and s biomechanical techniques and spiritually enlightening Universal Principals of Alignment.

The Anusara Invocation:

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave -

I offer myself to the Light,

who is the true teacher within and without

Saccidananda Murtaye -

who assumes the form of the Divine Supreme Consciousness and Bliss

Nisprapanchaya Shantaya -

who is never absent and full of peace

Niralambaya Tejase -

Independent is this Divine Essence, the vital essence of illumination

OM

BECOMING A YOGA TEACHER

was AN EASY CHOICE OF THE HEART

IN 2002, just months preceeding the birth of my first and only child at age 39, I changed my career path, my relationship status and my state of residency, and moved from the west coast back to RI.

Wanting to know myself more fully and live my yoga in every facet of my life, I left the life of a world traveling natural products sales broker, to became a single mother and a Certified Interdisciplinary Vinyasa Yoga Teacher, studying at the Nosara Yoga Institute in Nosara, Costa Rica.

While still in Costa Rica (for what was to become the last tropical winter I'd have in a decade) I also chose to celebrate my heart and friendship with Hanneli by partaking in an Anusara yoga retreat she was teaching in the southern tip of that lovely jungle country... A retreat that transformed my life.

Since that retreat my dream is to go back to Tierra De Milagro, the same center Hanneli taught at, and facilitate my own retreat, one influenced by my experience with Anusara yoga, with raising a child by myself, and with living an all organic, whole foods and natural lifestyle. I know it's in me, and it's time to reveal this potential. (Note... here it is April 2013, three years after writing this bio, and I'm realizing that indeed through intensifying and clarifying this full heart commitment, my hopes and dreams are being actualized!! I knew it.) Of course like many paths we take in life, the road is full of twists and turns. My work in progress toward becoming a Certified Anusara yoga teacher changed since Anusara founder, John Friend's, so called "fall from grace" in early 2012. My practice, my teaching and my beloved students were not affected as many other Anusara devotees may have been, for living in RI where Anusara's popularity was just beginning to blossom, was a natural buffer I now greatly appreciate. All of my Anusara teachers are still my teachers, though many have dropped their affliation and title's as such and taken on their own well deserved and honorable original names for the Anusara influenced styles they so masterfully teach and practice. My favorite teachers I study with regularly at home through www.yogaglo.com and in workshops when they are nearby.

I have huge gratitude to them, especially Sianna Sherman, Elena Brower, Noah Maze, Christina Sell, Darren Rhodes, Mark Holzman and others, and I love Tiffany Cruishank! See all of their links below.

---------------------- below is from 2010:

I can see myself amongst the enormous jungle trees, slow moving sloths and super fun surf, practicing meditation and Anusara yoga, swinging in hammocks and eating amazing fresh fruit and vegetables... and with me is my son and many of my students from Rhode Island, enjoying fruit smoothies and mat time with students from all over the world.

(It's always good to imagine ourselves engaged in the life we want for ourselves; it creates an imprint.)

I have been engrained in the Anusara Yoga Teacher Training process seriously since 2008, and I'm in for the long haul, because I believe in what I put my heart into and am committed to live it fully.

Anusara is transformative on the physical and spiritual level for me, because of it's accessibility to my heart and every muscle, bone and nerve in my body. Through body and breath awareness we can all reveal our true potential, because the heart reveals it's true self.

Coming to the mat is not about performing asana, it is about revealing our soulful connection with the Divine on a physical level so we can know it in this lifetime. Expressing our full potential in asana, and setting an intention before our practice to align with the current of Grace that is already within us, we then align with the Universal Divine Consciousness. This again, creates an indeliable imprint on our lives. So much so that when we step off the mat we are able to move with equinimity - an acceptance of life's pulsations of ups and downs, instead of reacting we take pause, reflecting on what's most important to us. As Hanneli would say,"Bah 'Va na" - which is the natural resting in the recognition of our own unfolding.

Being in the flow of grace is opening to something bigger than ourselves; it is opening to the fullness of being alive. Like a bloom in full fragrance.

This is what Hanneli taught me years ago, and it is the essence of Anusara's non-dualistic Tantric Philosophy. It is also why I choose to practice and share the method that Hanneli's teacher, and now my teacher, John Friend, founded back in the late 1990s.

I love to teach what I truly believe is beautiful.

Helping others live to their fullest, truest selves while I live to mine is beauty in the making, and I've always liked to quote the poet Rumi as he so perfectly expresses this joy, "Let the beauty you love, be what you do. There are a thousand ways to kneel and kiss the earth."

Try it for yourself, please come join me for a class. Namaste~Rebecca

KICK YOUR BOOTS OFF YOGA SERIES: Upcoming Workshops

13 FEBRUARY

Sunday 11:20 AM – 2:00 PM$25

Celebrate the Heart~ Open to the flow of grace that dwells within & throughout.

Beginning with heart healthy sips of soup and tea, we’ll share poetry, story and peace, then begin asana with lessons on optimal biomechanics for gentle to full-on backbends, twists & forward folds.

13 MARCH

Sunday 11:20 AM - 2:00 PM $25

The Spanda of spring ~ Manifestation & Liberation

Through the first to last OM we’ll practice being in tune with two natural currents in life, that of manifestation and liberation. One current draws in to its source - as in the density of a tulip bulb, and the other liberates into an unlimited source of creative energy- as in the dynamic blossom peaking with powerful fragrance and diversity.

A light lunch of raw veggies & a spring green salad (optionally to begin a 10-day cleanse) will be offered.

10 APRIL

Sunday 11:20 AM - 2:00 PM $25

Live in the Soul & Dance with Shri ~ Remembering that ‘all we wish to be is already within us’ we’ll practice leading with the breath into the fullness of our potential, refining our asana practice with a deeper understanding of inner and outer spirals in standing poses, inversions and twists. A spring green salad, and organic fruit & nut snack will be offered to fill you with life’s vital energy, aka Shri !

Rebecca J. Briggs has been practicing yoga regularly since 1992 and has been a certified Interdisciplinary Vinyasa Yoga Teacher since 2002.She is a dedicated student of ANUSARA YOGA™. Anusara translates as “being in the current of grace.” Anusara’s elegant system of biomechanical alignment principles intertwined with it’s heart opening Tantric philosophy is life affirming and transformational!

RIVER BEND DISCOUNT PACKAGE:

THREE WORKSHOP PASS = $60 / TWO = $45 or

ONE Workshop = $25

Rebecca’s regular 9:45 am Sunday yoga class will be prior to workshops. Non-members can attend for a $12 drop-in fee; Members n/c.

Heart Themes & Awareness based on the style of yoga I practice, Anusara(tm), and it's Universal Principles of Alignment(tm).

A few of our classes' Apex Poses:

Vasisthasana - aka side plank, this pose is dedicated to the egoless warrior, and to all of our teachers, including the guru within.

Wild Thing pose - one legged dog, flipped into back bending dog. Wild with abandon, and open to possibility, flowing with fearlessness and grace.

Vrskasana - tree pose, with side bodies long we root down to rise up, and like a reed in it's reed bed, we sway with our fellow reeds, and when pulled from our source we still sing with music through the vessel of our being, longing to return, staying centered with atunement to our intention, to align with the Divine.

Adomukha Vrskasana - downward facing tree pose (aka handstand)

The ultimate pose to practice regularly, for beginners and advanced students alike; through a procession of steps, we can move through the preparation and full expression of this inverted posture. With fearlessness and faith, we set our foundation with open palms pressing through each finger pad, and with a soft heart we draw our arms and legs in to our mid-line supporting our heart's intention and steadfast core; through our rising torso, as tall and committed as a tree's trunk, we reach our shoulder blades in the direction of our tail bone and energetically expand ourselves, lengthening our torso toward the sky. Hugging our legs in towards eachother, with thighs back, wide and apart expanding our reach into the backbody, we then energetically and physically reach our tailbone toward our expressingly open toes and the sky above; our legs rise up to their fullest potential; our Soul connecting to all Souls and the Universal Divine --longing to go back to it's source for the celebration of freedom and an ultimati bliss (samadhi). Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Mac Hedgepath, May you Rest in Peace and fly with your spirit above us all spreading sweet smiles

Our community lost a wonderful friend this month, Mac's calming joy and presence and his teddy bear smiles and hugs and infinite knowledge on organic farming and bee keeping will be cherished in our hearts and missed in our day to day lives very much.

Samantha flew in to RI on the day my son Shane was born, August 11, 2002. This is my fave pic of her at my bedside, full of her light and love.

My love and appreciation of Anusara Yoga, John Friend, and my many Certified Anusara Yoga Teachers

I have dedicated both my home practice and my teaching time to the Anusara yoga teaching method since 2007, when I returned to CA to study with my dear friend Samantha Shakti Brown. I was first introduced to Anusara in the late 1990's by my dear friend Hanneli Francis in Williams, OR.

Hanneli was one of John Friend's first Certified Anusara Yoga Teachers, and sadly is no longer with us to celebrate with the widely expanding kula. Hanneli left her physical body and became an angel to us all after a challenging health condition.

As Anusara expands across the planet as one of the fastest growing yoga styles, especially here in the US, I am both inspired and challenged by the fact that Rhode Island has only one Certified Anusara Teacher(tm), and that is just as of this past year when the very wonderful Sara Davidson ( www.TrueRadiance.com) orignially from Michagan moved to Providence. In CA I would drive almost two hours every other week (when I had childcare) to be with my favorite teacher Samantha, but here in RI (often without childcare and needing to be with my son in the evenings) I find it difficult to get to Sara's Providence and Newport classes and workshops. Making the money I need to support both my family and my career aspirations and heart center is still my intention (something I must renew daily). I am grateful to all of the national Anusara Certified teachers that I practice with via the internet almost on a daily basis (www.yogaglo.com). Thank you Universe for both your infinite and artificial intelligence - we are all made up of stardust!

As I continue to work towards accruing more hours with "live" Certified Anusara yoga teachers, I remain steadfastly committed to teaching yoga and wellness here in my native Rhode Island. At this point without the certification status I am unable to use the Anusara name as the title of my classes (must become an Anusara-Inspired(tm) or Certified Anusara Yoga teacher(tm) to do so, and I'm almost at the former!)

My hope is to be able to travel some this spring and summer, and study "live" with the many great Anusara teachers coming this way: even my CA teacher Samantha Shakti Brown will be here in New England apprecticing with John Friend during the VT and CA Wanderlust Festival and Anusara Grand Gathering: June in VT, July in CA. Ultimately my desire is to build the Southern RI Anusara yoga kula (community) one happy and prescious yoga student at a time, and along with all the other styles of yoga and yoga teachers, continue to do the good work that being a yoga teacher is. It is one of the grandest endeavors I feel the great honor to be a part of.

I welcome you all to delve into the Anusara Kula via the internet. There are so many great teachers (see my links to connect with videos and websites of my own teachers) passing along John's teachings with their own uniquely different heart centered voices.

Anusara celebrates our potential to align with the Divine, within and without. This Tantric- non dualistic philosophy believes that we are innately good and full of potential in both our darkest and brightest moments. When we recognize that the Supreme chooses to conceal itself through the play of life's many pulsations through darkness and light, yet can easily be revealed through our own breath. The breath ultimately helps us recognize we are one with the Universal flow of energy towards goodness, divineness, the Supreme Consciousness.

It is also through the practice of creating art with our bodies while in asana (asana literally translates as "seat" or postures that can help us recognize through breath, the "seat of our soul").

It is through awareness to this connection that our true self is revealed; when the beauty that is living, Shri is expessed.

When we practice this artful expression on the mat, and align with something bigger than ourselves our lives become imprinted with the positive, and we can begin to bloom with our true potential, full of shri - lifeforce, and with an acceptance of spanda - the pulsations of life, of darkness and light, of remembering and forgetting our own divine goodness.

May you begin again this spring, like a lotus and new moon, and bloom with spanda and shri!

Shane and his cousin Kendra in her full purple regala!

My neice's Baby Kendra, one years old

Dropping crayons! What an expression of shri! Colors go flying at such an exciting sound of delight.

I love my Dad's smile in this photo, which was taken in 1988; I had flown home for Thanksgiving from teaching school in Sedona, AZ. My father was real proud of me living out west doing what I worked hard for and loved to do-- teaching and living in beautiful places. Marvin was my Dad's soul mate, and my Mom his true love. FYI, My face got skinnier as I ate healthier (less of the amazing donuts), practiced yoga ('92-), and grew out my bangs!! I lived out west from 1986 to 2001, with a two and half year return summer 90 to Feb. 93. Missing my family has brought me back for good, though the West and traveling are a part of me as well. I hope someday my cowboy brother Steve gets to live on a range under a big sky too someday.

We reopened after 39 days of at times being covered in dust, and frustration, but during it all there was always a feeling that this was a fortunate opportunity to create a more harmonious place. I work here, at a non-profit, community owned natural foods store, because I want to. The Coop is a part of my life here in Rhode Island that connects me with a sense of "place" and "hOMe". Supporting organic, and often local, farmers and fair trade businesses, and offering healthy, sustainable choices that are bettering the lives of people, and the vitality of a (our) local community is worthy of the occupation of my time. I earn and spend my money here because I care about the message and affect my hard work and dollars have on more than just my bottom line. I also like my son beinga part of and aware of my intentions as his number one role model, and it is through his awareness of businesses like the AFC that he can see how doing good work makes a difference. Like volunteering at a food bank or fundraiser for good causes, helping others and being a part of a community feels good, and is good for the soul. I truly appreciate being around friends and interacting with many like minded people. It's that type of support that aligns us with the "Universal flow of energy toward happiness and bliss"... in line with the Divine.

Sunset on East Matunuck Beach, RI, at summer's end, Sept. 1rst.

Genesee Swamp along the O'Neil Bike Path near Kingston, RI... a wetland full of life

The sweet sky and silky swamp of Great Horn Brook. Splendid to see in each season's light.

The leafless snags are a happy home for birds, insects and what makes the world go round... life.

Shane at Three Sisters on Block Island, admiring the "recycled art" in their back garden.

I love the way he is drawn to art, beauty and doing good for the betterment of the planet and a more natural way of being.

Shane and his Papa August 20,2010 on Shane's first day back to RI.

They look so much alike. Shane's got the bright light which captures the best of his parents' and his own brillant beams.

Darrah's Garden and doggie Emma, from summer 2009

A very special pal to my dear friend Darrah; she even practices yoga!

Darrah, Emma and Rebecca, CA, July 2009

Friendships are so important; they keep us sane, with the support and humor that helps us remember who we are. Thank you! Now where's a photo of me and Elizabeth (waiting for one from last week's trip to Martha's Vineyard)? And one of me and Lisa (my dear friend from NM and OR, now in VA, whom I miss so much)? And of me and Samthaji, or one with the ever present Christine, or my college bof's Lindsey and Amy? AZ's Dara and Maria and Hanneli (both now immortal spirit friends). You are all so special. Thank you. OO

Cara and Kent in their new Oakland apartment.

Congratulations!

Cara and Rebecca in Hastapadangustasana

Holding each other dear, with a friendship that is ever Expanding.

Om Mata, Om Kali, Durga Diva Namo Namaha!

One of the many statues that Sam and Bradley have brought back from India. Check out the sunset portico and mountains, with the vineyards all around.

Sam hooping it up after baby Kiran sleeps, with Monty and Durga keeping their eye on her,

Sipping Big Basin Vineyard's wine... a nice night for sure. An absolutely beautifully crafted home, in line with the summer soltice and fall equinox.

Shane at SFO on airtram, July 9, 2010

En route to seeing his Papa, after over 8 hrs of traveling.

The Winds of Grace are always present.

All we need to do is raise our sails to be in it's flow. Block Island from Matunuck Beach.

Kayaking on the Narrow River, July 8th, 2010

Under a golden sunset the Osprey, Cormorants and the six of us paddlers(me, Shane, Brien and his three boys) enjoyed a summer evening.

Gooseberry Island Salt grass and seagull

Shane and his two razor clams

Pretty cool... more wild creatures for discovery- cool!

Finding razor clams, making them kiss???

Beautiful Narragansett, beautiful southern RI.

Shane catches his own fireworks, a firefly on the fourth of July.

And as his first grade teacher suggested, he let the wild critter- caught with wonder, go, so to be back with it's family, friends and nature.

Today I recognized, that the jewel like beauty, is in the presence.

~Rumi

Peonies in my Window

"Playfully you hid from me. All day I looked. Then I discovered, I was you, and the Celebration of that began." Lalla 14th C Hindu Poet and Saint

My Dad's still in critical care, but hopefully on his way to either getting better or preparing for peace with less interventions.

Spring along the Saugatucket River, Wakefield, RI

A perfect day for the M'aidez art stroll. SK student art in foreground. May 1, 2010

Matunuck Elementary students' art work

Mrs. Beth Schenck is the teacher behind all the creativity. Click photos for more at artzonia.com website.

Shane's "SYMBOL OF LIFE" artwork

Hung in the M'aidez art stroll, his first art show, in first grade. May 2010

Shane on the River walk bridge

M'aidez art stroll, May 1, 2010 Downtown Wakefield, RI

A story written by Mrs. Wildman's Fifth grade class at Wakefield Elementary School

How Harold the Duck changed human behavior to save his fellow fat ducks, that were feeding on junk food thrown from the Saugatucket bridge (something that no longer happens).

M'aidez Art Show with Ecology Awareness story in foreground

The Saugutucket River Bridge and May Day art stroll along the river. 2010

Sari's Sancturay over Wakefield's Saugatucket River

A river school for ecological and joyful outdoor studies, this lovely covered deck was built on donated funds, and recently dedicated to the young girl who passed away in 2005. Sari spent her many of her healthy days strolling over the bridge, grateful to be going to school and ready to enjoy her day.

The Alternative Food Coop's staff May 2010

The Coop is diagonally across the river from the Sari Sanctuary. A new deck is being built this summer so everyone can enjoy healthy snacks and Christine's great food under the sun looking out at the Saugatucket River.

Plant a Seed-- What will your intentions flower?

From treasure mapping to clearly written goals with exacting actions, dates, and outcomes, may what we plant now grow to fruition and bring abundance, joy and happiness.

How will you know the difficulties of being human,

If youre always flying off to blue perfection?

Where will you plant your grief-seeds?

We need Ground to scrape and hoe, not the sky of unspecified desire.

RUMI

REBECCA'S birthday weekend YOGA SCHEDULE

Heart Theme: Taking the risk to bloom, open to Grace and the possibility of freedom from struggle and abundance!

Earth Day Awareness: Returning to our Source, and Recycling what is Ours to cherish.

Gifted dandelions in a recycled bottle, a symbol of the simpler things in life, offering a chance at a good mood. Our Earth, our God and our Soul connections support the return to Source. Inspiration, Action, Courage and Hope to all!

Planting Seeds for our Traveling Garden

Shane starts the process of planting, with frozen fruit sticks for signage, and his ABCs.

Neighborhood buddies help with the seedlings.

Sunny play on the front porch, with dirt, seeds and sticky fingers!

A team effort!

Core strength & Self esteem... beating the blues with feet high to the sky

Shane snapped this shot of mommy in sirsasana. After a nap on my friend and neighbor's dock and looking up at the blue sky and pink buds, I realized I needed a boost of blood to the brain, and spirit to my heart... great for elevating the blues, go upside down under a sun filled sky, and laugh at yourself and this crazy, but wondrous world.

Make time for meditation, reflection, prayer or silence. I sat here after Wed's yoga practice...

A great place to pray for my Dad. Hoping Grace takes place, and releases his fears.

Wild violets in April.

Neighbors celebrate Easter Sunday with Shane and I.

Joyce and her twins, Madison and Dane.

Early spring at the Beach!

Shane skips and plays in the sunsoaked sand, Matunuck, RI April 3, 2010

Caffeinebinds to adenosine receptors, acting as an inhibitor, which in turn increases the activity of dopamine, a neurotransmitter, which elevates are mood. Dopamine is key to the design of anti depressant drugs. Caffeine also increases epinephrine (adrenaline) levels, the hormone that kicks in during the fight or flight response, and hence, is an obvious “pick me up”.

Why HEADACHES can occur when caffeine intake is abruptly halted:

Adenosine helps regulate blood pressure, and because caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, the body compensates by making more receptors. When caffeine intake abruptly ceases there are essentially too many functional adenosine receptors wanting to be filled, which causes dilated blood vessels in the brain resulting in headache and nausea.

Often, within 3-4 hours after your first strong cup, the receptors are eager to be either filled or blocked again, creating a cycle of dependency for some high intake “users”.Caffeine intake can also create fibrous tissue, especially in the breast, and many people eliminate or limit their intake as a safe guard against degraded tissues and potential cancer cell growth.

Valentine's Day Wishes from Shane and Rebecca.

About Me

I've lived in Martha's Vineyard since Aug. 2015, & native to Rhode Island, I am a New England Transcendentalist at heart, yet have lived in VT, AZ, NM, CA & OR. I'm grateful to my mentors, & experiences: from teaching on the Navajo Rez & in surreal Sedona, AZ, to living on an 85 acre medicinal herb pharm in OR, to visiting Maca farmers in the highlands of Peru, & & Shippipo Indians wild harvesting Una de Gato in the Amazon. I've traveled thru Central America, Europe & Southeast Asia, & yet my greatest adventure has been raising my son mostly solo. Shane has been spending his middle school years with his father, in the Mendonoma, CA Redwoods, yet will be back for High School in NE. He has an interesting bi-coastal hOMe, but to live in different places is never easy without each other. Raising a child with a friend is tough- holding onto the friendship is even tougher. Our relationships matter more than anything in life, with ourselves, each other and nature. Practicing & teaching yoga is my lifeline; nature, writing and photography are my refuge. I work and volunteer in my communities, spreading the virtues of an interconnected, healthy lifestyle.

Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Eka Pada Rajakapotanasana Bhekasana variation

You can grasp the hands together behind your back holding your back foot in to your mid line. Soften your heart, and root down to rise up.

Eka Pada Rajakapotansana Bhekasana

A full expression of Pigeon Pose with both hands holding the back foot and heart opening into a back bend with all energy rising up to the focal point at back of throat and wisdom center between the brow. Release the message of your heart and fulfill your passions with the purpose of your soul's intention.

A great way to share in the passing of a hard year, where pulling together cooperatively made a difference, and also to usher in a new year and decade where community support is numero uno. A big sadness looms to those businesses that we will miss. Here's to thinking out of the box and recreating businesses within this transforming economy.

Sledding on New Year's Eve

Elise, 6, Rosemary, and Aidan, 9, slide into the wonder of 2010!

New Year's Eve Dec. 31, 2009

Michael's fire on a snowy night raises warmth into the darkness

Dreams on fire, set them afloat

Rosemary's holy days centerpiece

AVATAR adventure in 3 D

Peace for the New Year - and for all of mankind and nature, now and forever, here and wherever!

Opening Further

People get into a heavy-duty sin and guilt trip, feeling that if things are going wrong, that means that they did something bad and they are being punished. That's not the idea at all. The idea of karma is that you continually get the teachings that you need to open your heart. To the degree that you didn't understand in the past how to stop protecting your soft spot, how to stop armoring your heart, you're given this gift of teachings in the form of your life, to give you everything you need to open further.

DEATH is a dialogue between The spirit and the dust. “Dissolve,” says Death. The Spirit, “Sir,I have another trust.” Death doubts it, argue...

Quotes to Ponder

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead

"Adopt the pace of Nature, her secret is patience."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"And then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~ Anais Nin

"To grow is to go beyond what you are today. Stand as yourself. Do not imitate. Do not pretend to have achieved your goal, and do not try to cut corners. Just try to grow."

~ Swami Prajnanpad

The willingness to shift perspective, to hold dexterity of perspective, comes from within your body. There must be an opening within your body to lead to an opening in your mind. This is the promise of your yoga practice.